Posts Tagged ‘kia ny’

It can be risky tinkering with success. The auto industry is full of stories about one-time hits that failed to connect with buyers after a big redesign – think the second-generation of the boxy Scion xB. So excuse the folks at Kia for being as nervous as they are boastful as they roll out the next generation of the quirky Soul hatchback as the New York International Auto Show’s media preview gets underway.

True, it got a bit of a bit from its equally funky ads starring a bunch of hip-hop hamsters, but there’s no question the original Kia Soul connected with buyers in a big way, becoming one of the Korean carmaker’s biggest hits and helping it score a series of annual sales records since launching in 2009.

“When the first Soul was introduced in 2009, everyone at Kia believed we had a hit on our hands, but we didn’t realize how big that hit was going to be,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of marketing and communications at Kia Motors America. “The Soul moved the needle significantly from a sales and marketing perspective.”

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What’s particularly significant about the outgoing Kia Soul is how it has maintained momentum in a niche that is normally filled with what industry analysts call “18-month wonders,” vehicles that come out blazing then all but vanish from the sales charts.

The Korean carmakers are making record inroads into the U.S. market – and are determined to keep the momentum going. So, look for some big news from Kia when it gets its turn in the spotlight at the upcoming NY Auto Show.

The smaller sibling of Hyundai has several big announcements coming at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, including the global debuts of the 2012 Kia Rio sedan and Rio5 hatchback, as well as the unveiling of the much-anticipated update of the quirky Kia Soul.

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The maker is keeping images of the latter box-mobile close to vest but we’ve gotten our hands on several shots of the next-generation Rio, shown here. The updated model clearly adopts the aggressive new styling language we’ve already seen on models like the ’11 Optima and the new Elantra.

Chief designer Peter Schreyer’s team has come up with a small car that manages to look a lot more sporty and up-market than the old Rio, which was a classic econobox. Both the sedan and Rio5 hatchback get more aggressive wedge shapes with broad, sloping shoulders. In keeping with the latest styling trends, the two body styles feature large wheel wells and deeply sculpted door panels.

Kia will offer both a 4-door sedan and the Rio5 hatchback for 2012.

Both models are wider and longer than the vehicles they replace – but still deliver better mileage, a bit more than 40 mpg on the highway. To get that additional economy Kia adopts new Direct-Injection technology, as well as Idle Stop-Go, which instantly shuts off the engine when idling, auto-restarting when the driver’s foot lifts off the brake.

The updated Soul, meanwhile, is expected to boast about 35 mpg on the highway, even though Kia hints it will announced a “significant” increase in performance during its NY news conference. Give credit there to a new 6-speed gearbox.

Grainy spy shots suggest the basic shape of the wildly popular Soul won’t change much, though it is always about details. New LED projector headlamps help Kia round out the overall silhouette of the 2012 Soul update.